A Montreal-area influencer is using her online platform to shed light on the often hidden reality of eating disorders and to encourage others to seek help.
Laetitia de Carufel is speaking openly about her long struggle with disordered eating, saying she hopes her story will help people recognize warning signs and avoid suffering in silence.
For as long as she can remember, de Carufel says her weight and appearance were a constant source of anxiety. What began as heightened self-consciousness in childhood gradually escalated into disordered eating and compulsive behaviours that followed her into adulthood.
“I was weighing myself every day, more than once a day. I was not eating three times a week. I was working out obsessively three times a day,” de Carufel told Global News in an interview.
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She said it was not until she was in law school that she realized she needed professional help. She later began sharing her experience on TikTok, where her candid videos quickly resonated with a wide audience.
“I think what got me to recover — because I’m not fully recovered, I think it’s going to be a life’s work — is the fact that I’m posting every day. It’s helping me to help others,” she said.
Advocates with Anorexia and Bulimia Quebec say more than 300,000 Quebecers are living with an eating disorder. Common warning signs include skipping meals, excessive exercise and avoiding eating in front of others.
“It’s not just anorexia. It’s not just losing weight,” said ANEB spokesperson Lise-Andrée Massé. “It’s more than that. It’s a feeling that you’re not good enough with the body you have.”
Dr. Linda Booij, head of research at the Eating Disorders Continuum at the Douglas Institute, says those signs are often overlooked, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. She says early education and broader public awareness are key.
“Teaching kids fairly early on about body image, and also later on,” Booij said. “More generally, informing the public about warning signs — whether they’re teachers, health professionals or parents.”
Now an ambassador with ANEB, de Carufel uses her platform that has over 700k followers to speak candidly about recovery, hoping her voice helps others recognize when it’s time to ask for help.
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